Working from home forever? Let these handsome home office ideas help you create the perfect productive space
Our home office ideas are here to help you up your working from home set up. Whether you have a dedicated room or are working from the corner of your living room you will find some inspiration here.
The trick is to get the balance between decor – color schemes, soft furnishings and wall art – and practical additions like storage and office furniture, just right. And whether you're looking to create a calm and contemporary space, or a more traditional office look, you're sure to be inspired by our roundup of office ideas. To help nail your home office design be sure to visit our feature.
1. Choose your home office chair sensibly
We all know that the key to WFH is having a designating place to work, a desk rather than say the kitchen table, or the sofa, or your bed. Physically sitting at the best desk you can find gets you into that "work mode" and a good, comfortable chair is all part of that mentality.
So make sure you get you take time to choose the best office chair to suit your needs. It really is worth perusing reviews and testing out a few models before you pick.
2. Turn a corner of your open plan space into your home office
If you're lucky to have enough space, dividing an open plan kitchen or living room is a great option for designing a home office. Particularly if you opt for a simple and neat furniture layout with soothing colors that complement your existing space.
Pair that with good kitchen and living room lighting, plus, plenty of storage, such as drawers and cabinets to contain the day to day mess, and you will reap the benefits of a space that is motivating and seamlessly incorporates your personal style.
3. Get creative with your home office storage
Yes, that is an ottoman being used as home office storage. If – like many of us – your home office is your kitchen table, but you'd like a space to keep papers, stationary and tech that's out of eyesight, using an ottoman that can just sit at the end of your bed is an easy solution.
Here, a stylish grey ottoman has been filled with desk organizers, with the lid used as a space to store reminders.
4. DIY a functional home office feature wall
We love this home office idea! There are plenty of wall planners and noticeboards on the market to help you organize your time and your to dos, but if you fancy a project, why not make your own? All you need is some chalk paint to get started.
5. Hide a home office under the stairs
This stylish space shows you how easy it can be to reclaim the space under your staircase and create a workplace in the process. We love the unfitted feel of this setup, which would work well in a variety of homes. But, you could also opt for a made-to-measure solution designed to fit right up to the underside.
6. Design a traditional home office with plenty of character
There's something appealing about a traditional home office – or a study as one may prefer to call it – that even those with the most contemporary of interiors tastes can't help but love.
Overflowing with character, this space combines inky tones with art-deco inspired wallpaper – and not to mention the chunk oak desk – to create a space that wouldn't look out of place in 1920 or 2021.
7. Pick a paint colour that will boost your productivity
Different colors affect our moods in different ways, so choosing the correct paint color for the room you plan on working in is no small matter.
Surprisingly, the color that has been revealed as the ultimate productivity booster is... orange. This does not mean that you have to paint your home office a garish shade; choose a stylish hue such as Picture Gallery Red from Farrow & Ball. If reds and oranges don't appeal, try a combination of soothing greys, greens and blues, which create a calm feeling, much more conducive to stress-free working.
8. Go for bags of woody tones for warmth
Want to create a traditional-feeling space that's warm and welcoming, too? You need to fill your home office with warm-toned wood – and this can stretch from the desk to the window treatments.
A good work area needs plenty of light, but at the same time you don't want any glare on your laptop or computer, so it's worth considering a variety of home office window treatment ideas before making a final decision.
Blackout blinds or curtains are a great option as they will obviously stop any issues with glare. But then you also run the risk of being sat in the dark. Shutters, however, allow you to control the amount of light coming into the room throughout the day. More on those later.
9. Hide your home office away at night
What we love most about this home office idea is when you are done with work for the day you can shut the doors and it just looks like a lovely dresser – great if you're trying to achieve good work-life balance.
We have found that being able to separate your workspace from where you 'live' is so much better for your mental health than leaving your work on the kitchen table all evening.
Plus, this set-up is idea if you have a load of home office gadgets – we're talking monitors, keyboards, a small printer and the like – that slightly ruin the aesthetic of your home.
10. Choose a stylish noticeboard to organize thoughts
It's worth investing in the best noticeboard as part of your home office set-up if you're more of a visual person. The perfect spot for storing reminders and to-do lists, you could also try pinning images that inspire you to your noticeboard for extra inspiration. And if not, a well-designed noticeboard adds plenty of aesthetic appeal to a space.
We love the minimalist feel of the SKÅDIS Pegboard from Ikea. Our top tip for recreating this look is to pick a color theme for your pegboard that matches your interiors and use it to add personality to your room, as well as storage.
11. Build your own wall-to-wall storage, but half depth
If you have the room and requirements to need heaps of storage space, then our hot tip is to break down your storage units into shelves, separate drawers, boxes and little cabinets so it doesn't look clunky, and of course, so it is easier to order without shoving everything together.
Our second hot tip? Make it half depth:
everything is easy to reach and find and it won't take up so much floor space. This floating unit from IKEA, £63, can be placed above a few storage cabinets – and you have yourself a storage paradise without ruining the chic home office look.
12. Pick a desk with bags of character
We know it’s easy to get carried away with creating the perfect space, but don’t lose sight of the fact that an office is primarily a place to work in. This means spending some time picking the right home office desk that fits with the Mid-century vibe but also works for you.
Where to look? John Lewis is a good place to start but we'd always prefer a trawl around flea markets and antique shops for something authentic.
13. Get organized with a DIY wall planner
So now you have your little nook filled with your already owned furniture, time to make it really practical by adding a wall planner. These are great for jotting in meetings, deadlines and all those fabulous weekend plans we are all making at the moment (not). It's super easy and cheap to create the look at home all you need is masking tape to create the grid and chalkboard paint to create the squares. Remove the tape once the paint is dry and then fill in the numbers with a chalk pen. Easily done for under and tenner and it looks fab!
14. Pick shutters as your number one window treatment
Shutters are brilliant for home offices: they keep the light filtered so it's always at the right levels, they ensure privacy and security, and of course, they're great for allowing in a draught when it's hot outside or keeping out the cold when it's not. Take a look at our guide to how to choose shutters for more info. These DIY shutters are from California Shutters.
15. Add a cork board wall
Take your cork memo board up a notch and add a whole cork board wall. It's an easy DIY job too, all you need to do is cover a wall in cork tiles, you can pick them up from Amazon, then just get decorating!
Comments